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Sewing Tutorial: Custom Flared Skirt

I am always excited when somebody requests a custom project. It makes me extra happy when it's my own child. Her request, a superhero skirt with her favorite Marvel characters. Apparently she had seen the fabric on one of our recent trips to Jo-Ann.

The skirt hangs 17 1/2 inches from the waist and the pattern can be modified to fit just about anyone. I used 100% cotton quilting fabric. There are so many color and pattern choices available, you are sure to find the perfect print whether it's princesses, ponies or superheros.

Materials

24 x 24 inch piece of paper

pen or pencil

ruler

sewing tape measure

1 1/2 - 2 1/2 yards of fabric

2 yds of 2-inch wide elastic

sewing supplies (scissors, pins, thread, sewing machine, iron)

disappearing ink fabric marker (optional)

Directions

To make my design, I reverse engineered one of my daughter's other skirts. Here's how...

We'll start by drawing the pattern. You can use pen or pencil. I used markers just so it would photograph better.

Fold your paper in half and then open it up again. The pattern piece is symmetrical, so this creates a nice center line.

Now you'll need to do a little math, but don't worry.

Measure the hips of the person you are making the skirt for and add one inch. (For me it was 39 + 1 = 40) That's the number you will be using for the hip dimension.

Draw a rectangle at the top of your pattern that’s 5 inches long and (1/8 x hip) + 1 inch wide.

(The one inch here is for 1/2 inch seam allowance for each side.)

Make sure your rectangle is centered on the fold. It will make things easier later.

Next, draw a 17 1/2 inch line from the bottom of the waist, down the center fold line.

At the bottom of that line, draw a perpendicular line that's twice as wide as the waist line at the top.

Draw in lines that connect the bottom edge to the bottom of the waist band.

If you want your skirt to flare a little bit, add a slight curve to the sides of the pattern between the bottom of the waist and the bottom of the skirt.

Fold your paper in half again and cut out the pattern piece.

Before you cut the fabric, make sure to wash, dry and iron it. Fold the fabric in half, lengthwise.

There are a couple different ways you can lay out your pattern pieces depending on the width of your pattern pieces.

For wider skirts, lay one pattern piece on the fabric and another folded in half along the fabric fold.

For thinner skirts you may be able to fit two pattern pieces side by side, slightly staggered.

Cut out 8 fabric pieces.

Once you have your 8 pieces cut, you can begin assembling the skirt.

Pin two pieces, right sides together, and stitch along the side using a 1/2 inch allowance. Repeat the process to attach the remaining six pieces.

Do not sew the first piece to the last piece yet.

You may also want to serge or do a zig zag stitch along the seams so the edges don't fray.

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My name is Ellen and I am an independent pattern designer with a background in engineering and nearly 3 decades of knitting experience. My mission is to provide knit-worthy patterns, instructional resources and creative inspirations